Reviews

Only on the Weekends by Dean Atta

aspring's review

3.5

i will never like love triangles

i did, however, like this story at its core (also bonus trans m love interest!!)

also also tiny polyam mention was nice to see :) as an explanation/possibility

georgia_jaycee's review against another edition

5.0

Loved that this was accessible queer poetry. Beautiful and fun!

stachmou's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I generally don’t like a messy MC but it works for this one. It would have been a 5 without the emotional cheating. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Death of parent, Fatphobia, Homophobia, and Xenophobia

carrot2025's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted reflective relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

The book was okay. A nice and decently quick read but I wasn't a huge of the writing. The ending felt almost rushed or like it wasn't majorly thought out. It just sorta ended with no real closer on the characters. I suppose that could be seen as the point as Mack doesn't get total closer with K and the fam but it just felt like there should be like an extra chapter to explain what Mack is doing in order to grow. Instead we just get Mack writing a letter about how he's grown off page. And I also didn't really like Mack and K relationship. I feel like there should've been more time dedicated to that. All we really get is K shoving Mack away. He doesn't try to involve Mack in his life and then complains about Mack emotional cheating when K barely acts like they're dating. I understand K is meant to be closed off and closeted but it really felt like K never had any interest. We never see even a hint of him actually feeling like he genuinely loved Mack. I really like the idea of the story but it just feels like a bunch of different ideas loosely tied together.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Body shaming, Racism, Cancer, Death of parent, and Death

There's nothing in the story I would say is super bad or triggering.

The only thing I can really think of is when Mack is racial profiled at the restaurant but even that is basically like two pages.

Everything is basically like small references to real world problems but nothing is super deep or that causes major (or even really minor) problems within the story.

lierenprotectionsquad's review against another edition

emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

millie_mcd's review

lighthearted slow-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.25

.25 for the vegetable samosas on the first page 

jwinchell's review against another edition

4.0

I almost didn’t take this home because of its length, but now I’m really glad I read it. I’m a big fan of The Black Flamingo, and Dean Atta has accomplished something beautiful here. It’s important to have characters who wear makeup and nail polish and have crushes on closeted gay boys and trans boys. I learned about Glasgow accents and Nigerian English identities. Long but worth it.

xlindsreadsx's review against another edition

5.0

Wow just finished this book and I was shaking by the end I related alot.to this book and I am in love with it Dean atta is deffinatly one of my fav authors x

arianna9's review against another edition

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

jacehan's review against another edition

3.0

I absolutely loved The Black Flamingo, so I was a bit disappointed here. (I was wavering between 3 and 4, but both the author and Mack did a disservice to K, so 3 it is.)

The Black Flamingo felt like a book of beautiful poems from which emerged a great narrative. Only on the Weekends feels like a standard YA book that was then chopped up into poems. There’s still some really great lyricism here, but most of the time the poems are just driving the plot.